travel tuesday | 2-3 weeks bolivia itinerary

There's a lot of buzz around traveling without an itinerary. Many of my favorite memories have taken place when I've ditched my plan and been spontaneous (or never had a plan to begin with). I like both spontaneity and careful planning, a mix that sometimes works like garlic and butter (mmm garlic butter) and other times more like oil and water.

Before I head to a new country, at minimum I like to research the highlights and create a frame for the trip. I always try to plan for unforeseen circumstances - like road delays and closures, rain, and stomach bugs - by building in a few unplanned days. If all goes the way I hope, these days turn into spontaneous day trips and side adventures.

Before I booked my trip to Ecuador for this December, I considered several other countries - Bolivia most closely. I went as far as to make an itinerary and budget for the trip. Since I won't be using it this year, I'll share it with you in the hopes that someone else finds my research helpful. I'll revisit this itinerary soon enough - I fell head over heels for Bolivia with its rugged mountains, vast Amazon jungles, and gravity defying lakes while I learned about it and mapped out my hypothetical adventure. This itinerary is best suited for at least 2.5 weeks: I planned for about 18 days.

La Paz, Bolivia via Phillie Casablanca on Flickr

Days 1-3: arrive in La Paz and acclimate / optional day hike

At 3650 meters (nearly 12,000 feet), La Paz holds the title of the world's highest de facto capital city (Sucre is the official capital). For this itinerary, consider making La Paz your base camp. The city rests in the western part of Bolivia, is the country's second largest city after Santa Cruz, and serves as a jump off point for many of the country's most touristed sights and activities.

Days 1-3 should be spent in La Paz - acclimating to the altitude, exploring the city's architecture and heights (it's known as one of the most photographic cities in the world), and maybe taking a day hike to Valle de Luna.

Day 4: Mountain bike Death Road 

"Death Road," or Yungas Road, winds 38 miles (61 km) from La Paz to Coroico, a city some 35 miles (65 km) northeast of La Paz. The ultra-narrow, extremely windy road runs down mountain cliffs and impossibly served as a two-lane road in decades past. The sheer number of motorist accidents and resulting deaths gave the route its moniker, "Death Road." In recent years, an alternative, safer road has been constructed and cars primarily use that. Today, Death Road is frequented by mountain bikers and adventure seekers.

The full day tour takes you from La Paz up to the chilly start (wear layers!), provides you with a bicycle and allows you to cycle as fast and fearlessly downhill as you can handle before returning you to La Paz. The scenery changes between mountain peaks to the Amazonian jungle. The pictures from these trips are awe-worthy and jaw-dropping worthy and just plain incredibly beautiful. I can't handle how much I want to ride Death Road.

Lake Titicaca via Alicia Nijdim-Jones on Flickr

Days 5-7: Lake Titicaca

Rooted in Incan lore (the birthplace of Incan civilization) and rising higher than any other navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca is South America's largest lake and one of the world's most recognizable. The lake is an easy day trip from La Paz (a mere 30 miles), but to take it all in and experience the islands around it (particularly Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna - islands of the sun and moon), plan to stay at least 1-2 nights. Fun fact: Lake Titicaca has the original "Cococabana."

Day 5 - getting to the lake
Day 6 - explore the islands
Day 7 - back to La Paz

Salt Flats Bolivia via Zachary Baumgartner

Days 8-12: Visit the Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni)

I'll confess something to you: I didn't know anything about salt flats and Bolivia's famous salt flats and just how incredible and mind boggling cool and unique and what a natural wonder they are until I researched this trip. Bolivia's salt flats are the biggest in the world and are most famous not for their size (though, yes) but for their ability to turn the land into the sky and the sky into the land. When wet (rainy season is a good time to do this activity, though if the water is too high, parts are impassable), the water reflects the sky, and photos take on an other-worldly quality. By playing with perspective, you can seem to be holding a tiny person in your hands or walking on water.

The majority of trips depart out of Uyuni, a tiny, dusty town with more tour vendors than locals, it may seem. To get there from La Paz, you can fly (easier, faster) or you can take a bus to Oruro and a train to Uyuni ( ~11-12 hours from La Paz but significantly cheaper). You can also depart from Tupiza, and the reviews I've seen on that trip are incredible because of the landscapes you pass - but it's further away and more difficult to reach. The tour also requires more time.

A typical tour is 3-5 days in a 4x4 with 6-7 people. Compare prices and plans (what meals are included, how many people are in the car, etc) with tour operators. Paying a little more might ensure you're in a better vehicle and have more to eat. Bring snacks in case.

Amazon tour in Bolivia via hood.jonathan on Flickr

Days 13-16/17: Off to Rurrenabaque and the Amazon

Rurrenabaque is the launching point in Bolivia into the Amazon basin. Brazil may get the most international credit for the Amazon and its tours, but Bolivia has it going on, too. Amazon tours (overnight in lodges, or tours down the river) are exponentially cheaper than in Brazil while essentially offering the same experience. Go on anaconda treks (shudder), fish for piranhas (shudder), swim with pink dolphins, and camp in eco lodges. Tours last as many days as you can spare. Check with tour operators in La Paz for deals that include your tour and your return flight.

Witches Market in La Paz via Jungle_Boy on Flickr

Days 17-18: Return to La Paz, Buy a Llama Fetus, Return Home

Your stay in Bolivia wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Witches Market in La Paz. Buy dried frogs, potions, and, most famously, llama fetuses before heading home. Maybe your friends won't ask for souvenirs next time? ;)

There are so many other things to see and do in Bolivia. I would be writing all WEEK if I tried to include all the museums, cities, activities, sights, hikes, and markets I want to visit in this crazy beautiful country. This itinerary is an open guide, an outline, a starting point to designing your own adventure in Bolivia! 

Have you been to Bolivia? What would you add to this sample itinerary? What was the highlight of your trip?  

best dslr cameras for amateur travel photographers

As a travel writer today, I believe you have to take your own pictures if you really want to be in the game. - Susan Farewell, Travel Writers Exchange

In the past year, I've focused increasingly on taking the best pictures I can. Without a professional or even amateur-level camera, I've toyed with iPhone photography, primarily. The results have been good but not great: my photography skills are improving but not taking off. While in Mexico, I played with Zander's professional level Nikon camera without knowing the ins and outs of how it works. I came away with a few shots to be proud of but a heightened desire to learn more and put some technique behind my instincts and blind shooting.

As a traveler, and an adventure traveler at that, I need a camera that's lightweight enough that it won't bog me, or my backpack down, while I'm out exploring but that offers more capabilities for user-control than a point-and-shoot.

My go-to point-and-shoot is and always has been the rugged, all-weather, durable, waterproof Nikon Coolpix.

Taking the leap to a beginner level DSLR scares me..... because I'm clumsy, and do those come in rugged hard shells that are also waterproof? But it's a leap that's necessary if I want to grow as a writer and a photographer because Susan Farewell said it best and is right - to be in the travel blogging, writing, freelancing game, you need to be able to produce high quality images that take your story to another level.

Here are the two entry-level DSLR's that have caught my eye. What makes them stand out for travel is their light weight, durability, ease of use, high quality recording capabilities, and their ability to focus quickly for action shots, wildlife, nature, etc.

• Canon EOS Rebel -- Great for budding travel videographers. Offers high quality images.

• Nikon D3200 -- Best budget option. Smaller than other DSLRs. 24.2 megapixels for higher quality images. 

Next week I'll write a roundup of introductory level photography classes in DC. It's my goal to have a camera + a class or two under my belt before heading off to Ecuador in December.

**EDIT**
After reading Ed Graham's post yesterday on the things he has learned photographing 30 countries, I asked the world traveler, photographer, and blogger which beginner-level DSLR camera he recommends. He says he still recommends the Canon 60D for its features and usability.

Do you have recommendations on a beginner-level DSLR that would be fit for travel photography? I'd love to hear your tips on camera bodies, lenses, etc.

Resources: 
Best Entry-Level DSLR Cameras 2013 - Switch Back Travel
Choosing the Best Travel Camera - Go Backacking
Five Best DSLR Cameras - Lifehacker
Top Digital SLR Cameras for Travel - About.com

friday photo: upside down on the acropolis

Beware: hanging out upside down at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece may get you in trouble with security. But it sure is worth the view. (photo rights are my own)

Celebrate the Acropolis' extraordinary past on BBC Travel

BOOKED: Ecuador

Tickets: $670 on Delta

Does anyone else get a sudden bout of indigestion, heart burn, and debilitating anxiety the moment an airline offers you travel insurance? It can't be just me, right? No matter how many times I travel internationally (and domestically), that silly little question grips me right in the deepest part of my rational brain and taunts me, "I'm just $50... aren't I worth it?" And I suddenly imagine every scenario possible that could cause me to cancel a trip and thus wish I had insurance for a refund on the ticket: I break both my legs, a rattlesnake gets me mid hike and I'm on my poisoned death bed (my fear of snakes is unparalleled), or I lose my job or have a family emergency. Essentially, that one question brings to light everything that could ever go tragically wrong, and I spend several minutes completely depressed before I decline it, hit "Yes, I'm for sure. Please book this trip for me." Then the excitement takes back over.

If there's one word to describe how I feel about this trip, even six months out, it really is plain and simply - excited. I'm stoked. I smile so big my cheeks start to hurt every time I think about it. This trip is going to be a great one. 

A few of my takeaways from this process:

Travel does not have to be nomadic or long-term. I know that while I'm in a "9-5" career, I can travel. I can even do it for a few weeks at a time. So can you. It requires planning and a few sacrifices (for me, that means spending the holidays abroad and not with family).

Travel flexibly to reap the greatest benefits. We are flying out of Quito at 12:30am on January 1, 2014. We'll be able to spend New Year's Eve day in the city, but we'll ring in the New Year at the airport. By being willing to be flexible on that day, we saved hundreds of dollars. (I fully plan to buy a bottle of duty-free champagne and pop it right there!)

When you know you've found a deal, take it. I kicked myself endlessly for not booking our flights to Bolivia when I saw tickets for $795. My instincts told me it was a steal. If you don't want to trust your gut, look at the other flights: are there multiple listings for the inexpensive flight, or only one? How does the price compare to other flights around the same time? I learned my lesson and grabbed the cheap flights to Ecuador while I still could.

Be open to adventure. To meet our budget of $800 for flights, most developed, first world countries disappeared from even our periphery. I looked almost exclusively in South and Central America. Instead of beach side villas, we'll be exploring the Amazon basin, white water rafting, seeing animals in the Galapagos, and hunting for waterfalls in the jungle.

Research your face off (or hire me to do it for you). Flights are only the first piece of the puzzle. Do you need vaccinations? How much are visa fees? Is it rainy season? Summer? Winter? Croatia initially met our flight budget, but it's known for its beautiful beaches, and December would be too cold to enjoy them. Next. Bolivia is the cheapest in-country destination I researched, but the visa fee alone is $135. All of these factored into our choice. Make sample itineraries and budgets (and + $500 for South America) to get a true sense of how your trip will go. Plan time for road closures, delays, and days when you just need to rest.

I'll be posting the itinerary and budget I created for Bolivia, along with the highlights we plan to hit in Ecuador in the coming weeks. A really special thank you to everyone who played along with my silly riddle yesterday and tried to guess the country to which I'm traveling! I received several texts, Facebook messages, and twitter guesses. Kudos to those who guessed it correctly!

from dreams to reality: 18 days abroad this year

A month and a half ago or so, I blogged about dreaming big and turning those dreams into reality. I ended the post by setting a goal for myself of living in another country for a month in 2013. Consumed with desire to make that goal a reality, I thought, researched, and debated endlessly. Would my job let me take a month of unpaid leave? If they would, could I afford that? Would they let me work remotely in another country? Could I go for a month over Thanksgiving and Christmas to maximize vacation time provided to me?

Underneath all of those uncertainties loomed the question that fueled my passion: to where would I go?

I pitched several ideas to Zander, hoping he'd be along for the adventure, but knowing, too, that it's one I would happily endeavor alone. When he immediately said yes without a moment's hesitation or even knowing where we would go, I thought, "Yeah, this man's for me."

We picked December. A month of unpaid leave would be financially impossible for me. However, my organization generously gives employees 10-12 days off around the holidays, and combined with a week's worth of vacation time, I would have 17-19 days abroad. (Zan had vacation time to spare.)

We considered Nepal. My heart jumped and flipped and pounded with excitement. Nepal makes me feel alive without having ever seen it; it tops my bucket list. But - the trip would only be financially feasible if we could use Zan's Delta points. We talked with Delta and spent hours on their rewards website, analyzing route maps. In the end, we would have spent 40 hours in transit on both legs of the trip. We decided to build up more points, look even further in advance next year, and pick a trip we could afford out of pocket.

We chose Bolivia. I swear I researched flights for a month solid. We capped our flights at $800. The world felt like my oyster..... right until Kayak revealed the cheapest price is never under $1000. I whittled the list to Costa Rica, Belize, Ireland, Scotland, Amsterdam, and Bolivia. Drawn to Bolivia for the Salt Flats, Death Road, and picturesque capital city of La Paz, I put together an exhaustive itinerary and budget and presented it to Zan. He became a "Boliever" (hehe), too. We went onilne to book flights, and prices had risen from $795 to $960.

What next? We convinced ourselves to move forward with Bolivia at $960, justifying it by the incredible trip we knew we'd have... until prices jumped again to over $1000. I frustratedly went back to the drawing board (ahem, Kayak & FareCompare), and searched for tickets to all of the countries that didn't make the budget cut the first time around: Peru, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Ecuador, hoping for a miracle.

One ticket price came in so low, I refreshed the page and started over and checked it on other flight comparison sites. Within the hour, I compiled a sample itinerary and budget, emailed it to Zan, and said, "Let's book." And we did.

Tomorrow I'll reveal where we're going and a few budget travel tips from this "leg" of the trip. 

Clues and hints to where I'm going (if you want to play along, leave your guess in the comments!)


This country boasts the world's second highest capital city. 
It also has some of the world's highest volcanoes. 
And the altitude changes! Visitors pop their ears on the way up and fight the bends on the way down. 
A lot of travelers go to see this country's blue boobies.  

my writing in different spaces... 

what not to do in japan on viator  

travel tuesday | climbing mt. fuji

Today, I'm heading back to Japan, in pictures at least. To the tip-top of Japan. To above the clouds, and below the sky. To the point where exhaustion gives way to accomplishment. To Fuji-san, or Mt. Fuji, for we English speakers.

Standing at 12,388 feet tall (3447 meters), Mt. Fuji is no short order hike, though it is the most climbed mountain in the world.

Nearly anyone can summit Mt. Fuji. You don't need mountaineering equipment, oxygen takes, or extended time to acclimate, and it only takes about 8-10 hours in total (only! ha!). It's possible to hike it as an out-and-back, and most people do it that way. But don't take that the wrong way. Old Fuji is a bastard of a climb. 

The traditional way to climb Mt. Fuji is to start hiking at sunset and climb all night, until at long last, you see sunrise from the summit, above the clouds. I stubbornly chose to do it this way, starting on the same day that I visited three temples in Kyoto and spent 6 hours on trains. I hit a severe, dangerous wall of exhaustion. I don't recommend that.

Hiking Fuji at night felt Biblical to me. I think that's an entirely strange comparison, especially to make in Japan, but I have no better words for it. The mountain looms foreboding as you step out onto it, and the night grows darker when it's already black. The only light you see are the headlamps of fellow trekkers, a luminescent, bobbing glow snaking up into an the ethereal unknown. In my exhaustion and delirium, the story of the Three Wise Men came as naturally to mind as my want for rest and water, and I thought, this is probably what their journey looked and felt like, some 2000 years ago. Less poetically, climbing Fuji-san at night engenders a feeling of tight knit community through a common cause and goal.

 

The ascent to the top of Mt. Fuji is marked by stations. There are nine in total. Instead of hiking through the night, many trekkers opt to rent bunk-bed style futons in huts located at the 8th station. The 8th station is a blessed bastion. You can purchase hot ramen, tea, water, and generally rest your tired eyes and sore feet before pushing through the final, steep climb to the top. I do recommend these huts.

At the base of the mountain, and at souvenir shops for miles surrounding it, there are opportunities to purchase walking sticks. At each of the nine stations on the mountain, the walking sticks are stamped with proof of your tenacity and endurance. The stamps are imprinted with hot irons, emblazoning the stick and emboldening the trekker to make it that much higher. 

There is a Japanese proverb that says, "A wise man climbs Fuji once. A fool climbs it twice."

Trekkers on the mountain take rest on rocks, bits of dirt and gravel and hardened lava. Sometimes those people have a foot in the path, or their pack falls onto the trail. In the 12 hours I spent on Fuji-san, not one person was rude, or told someone to move. I only heard kind words, spoken to others and to me. Climbing Mt. Fuji epitomizes the Japanese spirit - community, a helping hand, kinship.

Truth be told, climbing Mt. Fuji is my greatest accomplishment and regret in my time in Japan. I tried to do too much in too short a time, and I faced the consequences: I crashed and burned (and fell asleep in a bowl of ramen) at Station 8, so shy of the summit I could see it in my reach. I may be a fool - I know I'm a fool - but I'll do it again someday.

if you go... 

climbing season is in july & august

starting point: Kawaguchiko 5th station on the Yoshida Trail

from Tokyo, take a bus from Shinjuku to the trail head at the 5th station

 bring layers; it's cold at the top even in summer 

mt. fuji walking stick: 1000Yen (~$10-$20) / stamps: 200Yen ($2-5)

climbing guide

my other posts on japan...

cycling the 70km shimanami-kaido 

my hometown: yamato, hikari, yamaguchi

a slice of life | celebrating zander's birthday

 "Zander" is short for Alexander, phonetically speaking. He's the kind of man who enjoys the solitude of fishing and the roar of fans at a sporting event in equal measure. He drinks Fat Tire and Dog Fish beers (in so many varieties I can't name them all). He enjoys learning about wine and sipping on it whenever he gets the chance. He'll go hiking if I ask nicely, but secretly he'd rather be fixing up his condo or catching up on his Netflix queue. He named his car "Yota," and reminds me all the time it's with a "T" and not a "D" ("and did you thank her before you shut the door?"). 

Zan's the kind of man who dresses up in a Santa ("Zanta") suit and heads to the busiest bar on a Friday night in December to make everyone laugh and believe a little again. He makes silly jokes and jokes I don't get and truly funny jokes, but always, he's busy making jokes. Zan's laid back and easygoing, and he's incredibly even-keeled. He's gracious when other make a mistake, and he learns from the ones he makes. He's shy underneath his ability to make friends anywhere at any time.

He doesn't usually prefer all the attention on himself, which made it extra special to celebrate him all weekend long. Did I mention Zan was born at 7:57am on June 1? He told me this matter-of-factually while waiting and watching for the clock to turn to 8:36 and said, "What? I was just checking the time."

Friday night, I sent Zan on a wild goose chase scavenger hunt through a few of his favorite bars and restaurants around the city. The last clue led him to his building's roof, where I waited for him with wine, charcuterie, cheese, and a huge hug. It was the most fun birthday gift! (A huge huge huge thank you to the places that let me drop clues and made the hunt a success: Dino, Uber DC, Weygandt Wines, Brickside Food & Drink, and Cleveland Park Bar and Grill!)

We spent Saturday afternoon at Paradise Springs Winery with a group of friends. After our group tasting, we ordered a few bottles and enjoyed meat and cheese and each others company on their beautiful patio. My girlfriend Whitney even played the tambourine with the local musician.

We ended the day with a BBQ and CAKE. (Mmmmmm, cake!) And more wine, always more wine.

Happy birthday, Zan. You put the spring in my steps.